Fall 2012
Welcome to the Department of Modern Languages at Western Kentucky University. The department offers major and minor programs in French, German, and
Spanish. Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Russian are offered through the intermediate level. Students can also take beginning Swahili.
Student Profile: Will Perry
May 2012 graduate Will Perry has a job
teaching Spanish in Hendersonville,
Tennessee, and he loves it. “They called
me and asked if I would come for an
interview. I hadn’t even applied yet.”
It turns out that several schools were
competing for this fresh talent from
WKU. Beech High School won out, and
so every day, 95 students get to learn
Spanish from this Portland, Tennessee
native who studied abroad in three
different locations before he graduated
from WKU. Perry’s intermediate Spanish
instructor Susann Davis said “I could
tell from the beginning that Will sees
the world through the eyes of a teacher.
He wanted to talk about how to give
feedback to students. By the time he
was a sophomore, he had established
his own PLN – personal learning
network – and was getting professional
development from top teachers in the
country through Twitter.” While at WKU,
Perry benefited from some extra special
career preparation that really paid off.
In the fall of his senior year, Perry was
one of five future teachers who received
a scholarship from the Potter College
of Arts and Letters and the Department
of Modern Languages to attend the
Kentucky World Languages Association
Annual Conference in Lexington.
Perry said about the experience: “Even
though graduation was approaching,
I discovered that teachers continue to
learn throughout their lives. The learning
really begins when we step into our
classrooms.” In addition, Perry was one
of 60 student teachers from WKU who
conducted the last month of their student
teaching experience abroad last year.
As with his experiences abroad before
that in Segovia, Spain, and Merida,
Mexico, through the Kentucky Institute
for International Studies, Perry received
a scholarship. “The greatest thing about
International Student Teaching
Each year, the College of Education sends students to conduct the last portion of their student teaching abroad – in
Belize, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, South Korea, Spain, and Sweden. Last year, sixty
student teachers participated. Partial scholarships were provided. Contact Dr. Fred Carter in the College of Education for
more information. Dr. Carter found that future teachers who took part in international student teaching had a 100% job
placement rate. It pays to go abroad!
student teaching abroad is that I had
to accept that I still have a lot to learn.
Teaching Spanish to Spaniards in Spain
taught me to embrace my talents and
accept my faults. No first-year teacher is
perfect.” Perry said. Perry’s advisor and
mentor at WKU, Susann Davis, said “he’s
one to watch, he’s got a great future
in education.” We’ll be watching you,
“Señor P.” You’re off to a wonderful start
to your career!
In 2012-2013, 300-level
Chinese courses will
be offered for the first
time. A major/minor
proposal is in the
curricular process.
Student Profile: Andrew Gott
May 2012 graduate
Andrew Gott arrived
in Jordan on August
25. He wrote us to
explain what took
him there.
“As I neared the end
of my senior year at
WKU, I was unsure
what my next step would be. Second
semester senior year, I was very involved
with Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) and the work we did with Fair
Trade, as well as falling in love with the
Arabic language and culture. It only took
one bi-term of Khaldoun Almousily’s
class to realize I wanted to continue
learning. I did a Google search of “fair
trade internship Arabic” and I found the
organization I will work with for the
next nine months: Canaan Fair Trade in
Jenin, Palestine. Even though I majored
in physics, the endless facets of my WKU
life provided a springboard for this next
adventure.”
Andrew is one of quite a few learners of
Arabic at WKU who have traveled to and
studied in Arabic-speaking countries. Look
them up. Ask them about it. Some others
are: Michael Marcell, Charlotte Humes,
Paul Fleischmann, Sabina Smailhodzic,
Carrie Costellow and Joseph Dunphy.
The Best “Second” Major
Lots of people assume that most students
who major in a language become teachers.
“Not so,” said Dr. Laura McGee, Head of Modern
Languages. “In fact, less than 10% of language
majors pursue teacher certification or go to
graduate school in languages. More than 90%
have chosen a world language to complement
any one of a huge number of majors.”
Employers know that if they hire even just
one person with world languages skills, they
have added that language to their company’s
skill set. And knowledge of a language may
not even be in the job ad. So give yourself an
advantage – and add a world language to your
skill set!
Message from the Department Head, Dr. Laura G. McGee
It is hard to believe I am beginning my
fourth year as Department Head. Since
2009, Modern Languages has seen substantial growth in the number students majoring in a world language, and in the different
languages and levels of those languages
offered. I am proud to be associated with
faculty who are innovative in their research
and in student engagement, who are active
in their professional organizations, and who
are constantly seeking ways to guide their
students to higher levels of language proficiency. What affirms for me each day that
this is the right field for me and a worthwhile place to spend my career are the
Wills, Madelines, Katherines, Andrews and
Meagans you read about in this newsletter,
and the countless other students – mostly,
but not only from Kentucky - whose lives
New Faculty in Modern Languages
Assistant Professor of Arabic Dr.
David DiMeo
comes from Boston, Massachusetts. After earning a B.S. degree
from West Point,
he served in the
U.S. Army for 26
years as a Middle
East Specialist and Arabic Linguist. He
earned an M.A. from Princeton University, with a thesis on the Muslim Brotherhood, and then earned a Ph.D. at Harvard
University in Modern Arabic Literature.
are changed forever because they learned
another language, another culture, and
another way of seeing their world. To those
of you we have sent out into a bigger world,
please keep in touch. We love hearing
His research focused on Egyptian writers
who laid the groundwork for revolutionary change in the political and social
system. He comes to us from West Point,
where he taught Arabic since 2000. He
has two kids in high school and a Corgi
at home. He calls himself a new but very
loyal fan of the Bowling Green Hot Rods.
Dr. Dimeo will take a leadership role in
building the Arabic program at WKU.
Chinese Instructor Yifang Zhang is
a doctoral student at Northeast Normal University in China, where she is
conducting dissertation research on
discourse analysis. As a graduate student, she also taught Chinese language
courses at the university’s Department of
from our alumni. And to those of you who
have not yet chosen to add proficiency
in a language to your skill set, I hope that
the stories here speak to you, and that you
decide to continue your studies with us.
Overseas Education. During
the 2010-2011
academic year,
Ms. Zhang studied Spanish at
the University of
Piura in Peru and
taught Chinese
through the Han
Ban “volunteer
teacher” Program
of the Chinese government. In 20122013, she will teach beginning and intermediate Chinese at WKU through the
Han Ban Program. In her free time, she
enjoys Chinese calligraphy and Chinese
cooking.
Isaac Muhando and Rachid Abou Abdellah
Modern Languages is pleased to again be
able to host two Fulbright Language Teaching Assistants. Isaac Muhando comes to
us from Nairobi, Kenya, where he taught
at an international school. He likes acting
and directing, and was active in the drama
program for four years while in college.
He is very interested in AIDS prevention in
Africa, and served as a Peer Educator Supervisor for the organization “I Choose Life
Africa.” He self-identifies as a leader who
wants to continue to improve his leadership skills. He will teach first-year Swahili.
Rachid Abou Abdellah comes to us from
the southern part of Morocco. He taught
English as a Foreign Language at a Middle
School for eight years before coming to
WKU. He looks forward to improving his
language teaching skills and learning about
American culture. He will teach first-year
Arabic. For both Rachid and Isaac, this is
the first time they have traveled outside
their native countries. Help us make them
feel welcome.
New Study Abroad Advisors
Study Abroad and Global Learning has two
new advisors. Their job is to help YOU pick
the right study abroad program for YOU. Stop
by Grise 128 and/or make an appointment to
talk about your opportunities abroad. Also go
to: www.wku.edu/studyabroad.
Katherine Hale
graduated from
WKU in 2007 with
a B.A. in Spanish, German, and
Religious Studies.
As an undergraduate, she spent a
semester in Morelia, Mexico and
Vienna, Austria.
After graduation,
she was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Argentina. She spent eight months
in 2010 teaching English, leading reading
workshops for children, volunteering at
a local orphanage, and traveling around
Argentina. It was also in Argentina that she
met her future husband. She advises students on Latin America, Germany, Austria,
the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Fiji,
New Zealand, and Canada.
, was the best
The decision to study abroad for five weeks in Mérida, México
to make
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. These excursions
excursion to a beautiful location around the area of Mérida
about in class,
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ne Beath
Madeli
Letters from Students
Each semester, we receive letters and cards from our students. There are thankyou notes for specific actions, letters praising the help students received from their
professors or advisor, and letters from students who have studied abroad. They are
so excited to see the world in the framework of an academic program that helps them
delve beneath the surface of the culture. They’re not just tourists – they are really “in”
the target culture. This year, we had more participation from the WKU-Glasgow Regional Center than ever before. Read what Madeline Beath had to say about her studies abroad with the Kentucky Institute for International Studies in Mérida, México.
Abby Leake is
originally from
Virginia. She received her B.A. in
Hispanic Studies
and Asian Studies
and her M.A. in International Studies
from East Carolina University in
Greenville, North
Carolina. Leake
previously did study abroad advising at the
University of Oulu, Finland, and at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC. Abby advises on
programs in Africa, Asia, various countries
in Europe and the Harlaxton and Semester at
Sea programs. She is excited to be a part of
the WKU community and is looking forward
to guiding and encouraging WKU students to
see and experience the world!
Modern Languages Scholarships and
Awards for Summer/Fall 2012
Finley C. Grise Scholarship
Chaz Arnold, Stephanie Bronner, Emily
Harper, Bethany Mullins
William R. Walls, Jr. International Travel
Award
Chaz Arnold, Mackenzie Farrar, Ericka Hardin, Emily Harper, Margaret Spalding
Outstanding Senior German Student
Jarred Grider
Sigma Delta Pi Award
Micah L. McClendon
Outstanding Senior Spanish Student
Caitlin Reyes
Huey Award
Margaret Spalding
Outstanding Senior French Student
Kyle Young
Do you qualify? Read about the scholarships
available through Modern Languages by going
to: www.wku.edu/modernlanguages.
News from our Programs
superstitions, Confucian concepts,
and the function
of cultural values
over time. Instructor
Joe Ertl said about
the project: “It has
brought me much
joy to have experienced the enthusiasm of the amazing
young people in
my class and their
dedication to the
study of Japanese
language and things
Japanese.”
in German. Who knows if I would have
learned as much if they had had to speak my
language!” The German Club has planned
a wide variety of activities for fall 2012. Join
us on Facebook. The German film series
runs October 8-11, with a different film to be
shown each night.
Susann Davis was recognized with the
Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching,
at both the college and university levels. Dr.
Sonia Lenk received the Faculty Award for
Excellence in Service given by the Potter
College of Arts and Letters, for her work
with the Hispanic community, both in lead-
Arabic instructor Khaldoun Almousily taught Arabic language in
summer 2012 for the STARTALK Academy at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. Thirty high school students
took part in the three-week immersion program. Almousily was
recognized with the “Inspriational Teacher Award” at the end
of the STARTALK program. Last year, forty-five students from
two sections of Arabic 101 visited the Islamic Center of Bowling Green. The students toured the facility and listened to a talk
given by religious and community leaders there.
The Chinese program will launch a pilot
online tutoring service in fall 2012. The tutors
are sixty college juniors majoring in Teaching
Chinese as a Foreign Language at the Southwest University of Science and Technology in
China. The weekly online tutoring is aimed
at providing Chinese learners with great opportunities to conduct language and cultural
exchanges with their peers in China. The
pilot online tutoring service is organized by
Assistant Professor of Chinese, Dr. Ke Peng
and the former Chinese Instructor, Hao Ran.
Hao Ran came to WKU through China’s Han
Ban and served as Chinese instructor for two
years. She is currently conducting Chinese
teacher training at the Southwest University
of Science and Technology.
Fifteen students in Joe Ertl’s
Japanese 202 course in spring
2012 published a book of
Japanese folktales that they
translated from Japanese
into English and
illustrated. The idea
for the project came
from the students.
Working with the
stories helped the
students practice their
language while learning about religions
traditions, myths,
Gifts
French Instructor Eddy Cuisinier
helped the Kentucky State Police
in translating the
Kentucky Drivers
License Test into
French. Jill Owen,
a 2011 graduate in
French and English,
is currently completing her M.A. in French at UK. Alexander
Brindley, a 2010 graduate in French and History, worked for two years in Troyes, France,
as a Language Assistant in a French high
school. He returned from France in spring
2012 and has taken a position as Executive Director at the Henderson Arts Council.
Adrienne HayesDemirelli, a
2009 graduate in
French and Music, is currently
living in France,
where she has
started her own
business as an
artistic agent
representing
and organizing
concerts for clasAdrienne Hayes-Demirelli
sically trained
musicians.
Three German majors studied abroad in
the spring 2012 semester in the Kentucky
Institute for International Studies Program in
Regensburg, Germany. They are: Mimi Illges,
Meagan Harris and Clint Waters. Meagan
Harris said a culminating experience for her
was a conversation on a train during her
travels near the end of the program. “I spoke
with a couple who had lived in the former
East Germany. We talked for four hours
Gary A. Ransdell, Ekaterina Myakshina, and Connie Foster
ing initiatives to provide translation services,
and also in conducting action research that
seeks to make college more appealing to
Hispanic students. Students in Dr. Inma
Pertusa’s Conversation course in spring 2012
created a murder mystery booklet. Students
in Bonita Phelps’ beginning Spanish classes
are learning about South America through
the Peace Corps Match program.
In October 2011, Russian Instructor Ekaterina Myakshina was recognized for her volunteer work at the Kentucky Museum with
the university’s highest honor for volunteers,
the Distinguished Service Medal. In summer
2012, Dr. Laura McGee and Ms. Myakshina
traveled to Russia to visit potential exchange
partner institutions and to visit future study
abroad locations. In 2012-2013, WKU will
offer intermediate Russian courses.
Bernadette Ombayo, Fulbright Language
Teaching Assistant for Swahili in 2011-2012,
has begun an M.A. in Social Work at WKU.
She was very pleased to have been awarded
a Graduate Assistantship. She will continue
to stay in touch with the Swahili-speaking
community at WKU.
The Department of Modern Languages is grateful for the monetary gifts it receives from alumni, parents, community members,
and local businesses. These gifts help us fund activities that add to student learning, such as attendance at conferences, club
activities, the film series, and guest lecturers. Would you like to make a gift? Contact Leslie Watkins, Senior Director of Development
for Potter College of Arts and Letters, at leslie.watkins@wku.edu, 270-745-6993.